The Royal Tenenbaums [DVD]

I love this movie. My teenage daughter said it was boring and only watched half of it. I have grounded her. Maybe if she spent less time gossiping on her phone she would learn to appreciate great movies.

Despite heroic efforts by Anjelica Huston, Danny Glover, and Gene Hackman, falls flat. Characters are introduced as these two-dimensional cartoons, and then the film turns maudlin and melodramatic, and we're supposed to care. Agonizingly long boring shots including like five minutes of a character walking off a bus with music accompaniment and like ten minutes of a character cutting their hair with music accompaniment. Best thing about the film was Anjelica Huston/Danny Glover love affair, to which the actors brought life and charm and charm. Hackman tried very hard, but there wasn't enough authenticity there for him to get into. JD Salinger was a pretty good writer whose cache came more from his place and time and voicing a generational disaffection that was relatively new at the time. If Anderson and Wilson were so inspired by Salinger, they should have simply made "Franny and Zooey" or something. Instead they tried to riff on Salinger- two guys from Texas, trying to riff on Salinger, and the result is as sophomoric as you would expect.

A dreamy experience of heartwarming charm and real emotion.Wes Anderson’s indie comedy-drama The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) is a pleasant bit of escapism for anyone that needs a laugh or some sincerity. The Royal Tenenbaums may be Wes’ best feature film. Wes Anderson’s status as an American auteur and cinema icon are forever solidified with his third motion picture: The Royal Tenenbaums. It’s gentle spirit, fast pace, dark subject matter, and earnest tackling of these issues make The Royal Tenenbaums timeless fun. Owen Wilson and Wes Anderson’s script takes on family, expectations, disappointment, parenting, divorce, marriage, love, and death. The Royal Tenenbaums is approached with an irreverent, absurdist sense of humor that makes the film a blast to watch, but the dramatic segments hit hard making The Royal Tenenbaums Wes Anderson’s most serious film to date despite the majority of it remaining fantastic comedy.Dylan Tichenor’s editing is so neat and fast that he effortlessly takes you across an entire family’s 22 year journey in a brisk 110 minute movie. Karen Patch’s costumes are iconic already from Gwyneth Paltrow’s fur coat, striped mini-dress, and black eye-liner look to Gene Hackman’s pink suit. Everyone in The Royal Tenenbaums looks hilarious or cool. Mark Mothersbaugh’s score is magical for The Royal Tenenbaums. Combining folk rock, alternative rock, and indie rock sounds for a whimsical soundscape like every Wes Anderson picture. David Wasco and Carl Sprague’s production design is killer with their cute New York house and apartment designs. Their use of bright primary colors fits Robert D. Yeoman’s symmetrical framing and quaint wide shots for comedic value. All his close-up shots are intimate and striking as well.Gene Hackman is phenomenal as Royal Tenenbaum. He flawlessly cons his family into allowing him to stick around, then genuinely gets to know each person and attempts to aid them with their problems. Gene Hackman elevates an already impressively crafted feature into a cult classic. He is funny in every scene with these little gestures and particular phrases, while also authentically finding his character’s heartfelt core. The Royal Tenenbaums is honestly one of Gene Hackman’s best performances in an already legendary career. He’s very fun here.Anjelica Huston is excellent as a nurturing mother learning to love again. Danny Glover is fun and likable as her new lover. Ben Stiller is outstanding as a grieving widower and overprotective father with no forgiveness for his own. Gwyneth Paltrow hypnotizes you every scene with her natural beauty and alluring emo aesthetic. Her dour mood is a fun shift in tone as she steals every scene she’s in as far as I’m concerned. Luke Wilson is devastating in one of his best acting roles, while Owen Wilson hams it up as a drug addicted novelist and part-time cowboy. Andrew Wilson cameos as Gwyneth’s relation within a hilarious axe scene.Bill Murray is likable as Gwyneth’s older husband. His disappointment and frustration are particularly funny, while also being naturally sad about everything. Seymour Cassel has a fun cameo as a hotel worker and medical enthusiast. Dipak and Kumar Pallana have great cameos like in Bottle Rocket and Rushmore.I should mention that I really enjoyed Alec Baldwin’s straightlaced narration. His voice tenderly contributes to The Royal Tenenbaums’ moving tone. Additionally, if you listen in closely, you can hear Wes Anderson himself voice the first tennis match commentator.In all, The Royal Tenenbaums has persisted as an indie film classic with good reason. It is miraculously well crafted with cute direction, fun performances, sweet music, and genuine heart. I love The Royal Tenenbaums and would happily recommend it for anyone that wants to smile.

For years I have heard this movie spoken about in glowing terms, so it was with great anticipation I sat to watch it. This is what I didn't know: that it's a movie about a gaslighting father who, through philandering, abandonment, lies, harsh criticism, and financial mismanagement destroys his once-promising children and his marriage. Not only does he never repent, but when he reflects upon his past, it's simply in terms of what he's missed and not in terms of the wounds he's caused and the destruction he's wrought. The last scene shows his headstone, engraved with a flaming and outrageous lie, showing that to the end he continued to have a self-worshipping image of himself, and that he has endeavored to project his flagrant lies into the future. This is not an enjoyable film, but it is well-executed and certainly represents accurately the impact this kind of person can have.

I see other people liked this film, so all I can say is it didn't do it for me. Good performances all round but it was like a near-miss Woody Alan movie. Not awful, but I was a bit bored and did not find the characters interesting or engaging. Gene Hackman was in fine form as usual, but even his character (the father of a dysfunctional family of "geniuses") varies from dull to vaguely unpleasant. Bottom line: no laughs.

21st June 2018..... and the very helpful Mr Mulvaney from Criterion has advised that RUSHMORE is soon be released as a Region "B" Blu Ray.... (finally).Also, for your interest, there is already a release of "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" as a region "B" release due for shipping in a few days (25th June 2018.)This release of The Royal Tenenbaums is excellent...... Wes Anderson is incapable of making a bad film!

The description of this film left me unsure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised and rather enjoyed its left-field humour. The basic premise of a dysfunctional family attempting to right some wrongs and restore themselves is of course not new to film-making. But some of the extreme twists and turns of how this particular family go about things is hugely bizarre. Within many families there will be topics that remain out of bounds for various reasons; this family has them in abundance!Seeing Gene Hackman in a comedy role was unexpected, but he pulled it off with aplomb. I already knew he was a great actor, but this uncharacteristic part further reinforced my admiration. Gwyneth Paltrow also shone very brightly, giving a great turn as a former child prodigy turned nervous wreck adult. Throughout this film there is a succession of events that should generate light chuckles, which build its momentum and carry it along rather well. There are also a couple of mood-changing darker moments which linger in the air, to make you wonder whether laughing was appropriate. A clever ploy. Recommended

From the opening credits, I loved the whole film. The cast is superb and the acting consistently brilliant. The story - three siblings back under one roof for the first time since they were each a child genius - is excellent - dark and comic and strange. Luke Wilson in the most melancholy role I've seen him in, Ben Stiller for once not playing for laughs, Owen Wilson as the truly preposterous academic, Eli Cash, Paltrow in her most watchable role by a mile, and Angelica Huston as the calm and dignified wife called upon to house her dying estranged and disgraceful husband and his faithful retainer. Everything about this film is brilliant.

Hilarious and witty comedy, Yet another great film by Wes Anderson. Royal Tenenbaums is basically a film about a dysfunctional family's dynamics, showing the relationships of each of the characters with the main protaganist, Royal Tenenbaum - played wonderfully by Gene Hackman. The whole cast are pefect, with my favourite performances coming from Luke Wilson and Ben Stiller.The soundtrack as always with a Wes Anderson film is fantastically indie and only adds to the style and feel of the film - with songs from; the Rolling Stones, Nico, Nick Drake, The Clash, Paul Simon, and Van Morrison, though my favourite has to be Mutato Muzika Orchestra's version of "Hey Jude"Absolutely love this film and definitely recommend you give it a go, If you haven't seen it you are definitely missing out.